Sunday, 17 March 2013

So Long Google Reader - What Does It Mean For Bloggers? PROBABLY NOT A LOT!!!

For the last few days I've been watching and reading a whole heap of craziness across the Internet over the announcement that Google Reader won't exist after 1 July 2013. What does this really mean to us bloggers? In my opinion, the answer is 'probably not a lot'.

Will your Blogger/Wordpress account still exist? - YES

Will you still have your Google Followers? - YES

So what exactly does Google Reader do? - It allows you to easily access/read all the blogs that you follow.

How will you read your blogs once Google Reader doesn't exist? - Simply change to another reader such as Bloglovin or Feedly.

These other readers already exist, it takes only seconds to sign up for them. Hey, you can really go mad and sign up for both of them and even stick with Google Reader too for now - there's no Reader Police checking how many you've signed up to and are using - which is what I've done just to try them out and see which I like best.

Your blog isn't going anywhere, you don't need to tell your readers where they can follow you now (how many posts have you read over the weekend telling you just that information and asking you to click to follow them at their new location?!!!). Your blog will still be sat on Blogger or Wordpress or whatever platform you're already using.

I don't believe that you'll lose Google Friend Connect Followers either - this is another separate Google application and not directly connected to Google Reader. This doesn't mean they won't ever make other changes that could affect this application though in the future.

Of course, you may lose some readers if they don't move to a new reader themselves but do you think they're not going to that? Are any of us really going to stop reading all blogs, forever? I don't think so. It's up to the individual to move to a new reader and they can quickly have their old Google Reader blog list transferred for them by the new reader system.

You as the blogger don't have to do a thing - though as a reader you'll probably want to move to a new reader yourself so you can carry on reading all the fab quilty posts out there (how many reads can you have in one sentence?) ;) As I type this post my favourite new reader is Feedly - I'm enjoying using it over Bloglovin via my laptop but I haven't tried either via my phone yet - that's a task for tomorrow. I'll let you know which I settle on as I go.

I wanted to type this post to try to alleviate some of the confusion/worry that seems to be out there right now. This latest Google change isn't a disaster for any of us, but who knows what they'll do next?!!!

18 comments:

Huzzah!! Viva la revolution!! You just won my vote as queen of blog world.I'm freaking out becasue of of these bloggers who I trust to know more than I do are adamant that I must-change-right-now. I don't know why. i don't know how. I don't know what for. In my panic I have signed up for bloglovin' (not a fan by the way, just as an app. web based, i don't hate...)You have delivered a calm, balanced, logical summation of the situation. For that you have my thanks, Miss Chrissie.E xx

I'm so frustrated with Feedly - I think they could be by far the better route of the two (Feedly vs Bloglovin) but they haven't explained properly that Google Reader will just transfer directly over to them via something called 'Normandy' at the point where GR closes down so you don't need to ask people to follow you they can just continue to do it via Google Reader and the change will happen automatically at the handover time.

Bloglovin however, well someone there sure had their head screwed on right in managing this GR train wreck, they're so clued up on making us have to promote their service to each other. I'm not in love with their set up but have quickly realised that I have to go along with it or I will lose followers because if I didn't 'claim' my blog then no-one could follow me via their system. I did claim it but I did it really small at the bottom of a post just so their system could find the html code and verify my claim, I didn't do it large at the top of a post they way they say you need to to ensure it will work! Next I realised that I've lost many followers, currently only at 50 on Bloglovin and not that much traffic coming to my blog via GR anymore, so unless I have to promote myself via the Bloglovin service. As a result I've taken their advice and started to add their 'button' to the bottom of my posts to try to build up my readership again.

I've spent the whole day sorting all the blogs I read into folders on Bloglovin via my laptop only to then install the phone app and discover that you can't access your folders via the phone so what a waste of time I thought that had been. I then realised that I can access their website via my phone so as long as I go via that route I can see my folders but it's not so easy as clicking on an app.

Arrrrrgggghhhh. So unnecessary - if Feedly had only explained themselves properly but now everyone's jumped ship to Bloglovin which is forcing the rest of us to have to do the same. Bloody irritating!!! ;)

Great post! The snowball effect of the freak-out was truly astounding, and I couldn't figure out why everyone was having us click a link to follow--no one ever explained that! It's like they saw someone else doing it, so everyone did it? I don't know why you'd have to "claim" your blog, but then again, I don't use a reader and don't know much about that stuff. I follow on my dashboard. I might take this opportunity to check out some readers though.

I love using a reader via my phone, it's so easy and if I refresh it just before I go down to the subway then I can read all the blogs I follow even though there's no signal.

As we're moving on it seems to me that the Bloglovin/Feedly situation is becoming more of an issue that it needed to have been, I've just been letting off steam to Erin, The Lazy Quilter about it - I'll email you what I said to her :)

Spot on Chrissie... accurate and not dramatic!!! First balanced post I've read!!! Like you said, there is no mention of GFC disappearing. I'm going to wait a while and then test out a couple of Feed Readers. I have heard good reports on Feedly.

Hi Pam, I've been trialling both and prefer Feedly but there's such a mass exodus to Bloglovin that I'm concerned I'll lose readership if I don't follow suit now. I've just done a reply to Erin, The Lazy Quilter with my thoughts, I'll email them to you also :)

My question in all this is why do people use Google Reader?? I never have, nor felt the need. I add blogs I follow thru my Blogger dashboard and they pop up there, which is where I click on them to open them up to read. Am I missing something??

I don't think you're missing anything Ann, I'm guessing that you have all the access you need via your laptop/home computer? I didn't use a reader until I got my android phone and discovered that a reader allowed me to access all the blogs I follow via one app on the phone AND the best bit is that I can refresh the info just before I go down into the subway and then it's all stored on the phone and I can read all the blogs while I'm on the metro and all with no phone or internet signal - marvellous! If you're happy without a reader I'd steer well clear at least until the fog lifts on this latest mess!!!

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